Southwest Airlines Professional Communications Certification Practice Exam

What citation style is used in the following example: Brody, J.E. (2007, December 11). Mental reserves keep brain agile. The New York Times, p. A13?

1. MLA

2. APA

3. Chicago

4. Harvard

The correct answer is: APA

The citation style presented in the example is APA (American Psychological Association) style. This is evident due to the specific formatting used, which includes the author's last name followed by the initial of their first name, the year of publication in parentheses, the full date of publication, the title of the article in sentence case, the name of the publication in italics, and additional publication details like page numbers. In APA style, the author-date citation format allows readers to see the year of publication prominently, reflecting a focus on the timeliness of the information, which is particularly relevant in the fields of social sciences. The use of italics for the title of the newspaper also aligns with APA conventions, distinguishing it from other citation styles, which may have different formatting rules for titles and publication details. Other citation styles such as MLA (Modern Language Association), Chicago, and Harvard have distinct features and structures. For example, MLA typically includes the author's full name and does not date in the same way, while Chicago style could have more variations between formats (notes-bibliography or author-date). Harvard also utilizes a slightly different structure and layout for its citations. Therefore, the specificity and structure of the citation align closely with APA style guidelines.